Hinge for refrigerator doors



July 2, 1940. E. F. scHwELLER HINGE FOR REFRIGERATOR DOORS 2sheets-sheet 1 Filed Sept. 2 8, 1957 INVENTOR.

//S ATTORNEYS.

July 2, 1940.I E. F. SCHWELLER HINGE FOR REFRIGERATOR DOORS Filed Sept.28, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 2v/mwa 7:." Sex/M5445?.

f//' ATTORNEYS `Patented July 2, 1940 v l UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICEHINGEn ron nEFnIGEnAToa noons Edmund F. Schwelier, Dayton, Ohio,assigner to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation ofDelaware Application September 28, 1937, Serial No. 166,198

1 Claim.

This invention relates to hinges and particularly to concealed hingesfor use on doors of refrigerators or similar structures. :s

Heretofore so-called concealed hinges were only 5 partly concealed dueto the fact that if entirely concealed access thereto could not be hadfor 20 an improved concealed hinge for a refrigerator cabinet door whichis adjustable through a wall of the door. Y

A further object of myA invention is to provide a hinge which isentirely concealed partly within "I the Walls of va refrigerator cabinetand partly within the refrigerator cabinet door and which can beadjusted without dismantling parts of the cabinet or door to therebyfacilitate alignment of thedoor with the cabinet door opening and to 0permit removal of the door in case the same should become damaged.

In carrying out the foregoing objects the invention includes otherobjects which consist in the details of construction, and in novelarrange- 35 ments and combinations of parts to be hereinafter more fullyset forth and claimed, w

In describing the invention in detail reference will he made to theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this application and wherein 40like `characters denote corresponding pants in the several views inwhichl J Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator cabinet havingmy invention embodied therein;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 2--2of Fig. 1 showing a portion of the hinge of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary View showing the refrigerator cabinetdoor in an open position and partly broken away to illustrate theadjustment of a hinge constructed in accordance with my invention; .and

Fig. `4 is` a verticalV sectional view taken along the lmet- 4 of Fig. 1showing the refrigerator cabinet door hinges partly in sectional andpartly i in elevation.

Referring to the drawings, for illustrating the present invention, Ihave shown in Fig. 1 thereof a refrigerator cabinet Ill includinginsulating walls bounded by metallic members I2 and I3 (see Fig.`2). Theinsulating walls II surround a food 6 storage compartment I4 provided'inthe cabinet I0 and the metal members I2 and I3 are secured to a heavymetal supporting bracket 5 located at the front of the cabinet inwardlyof member i3. The food storage compartment I4 is provided 10 with anaccess opening I 6 which is closed by a door Il. The metal member I2forms a liner for the walls of compartment I4 and the member |3 formsthe finished exterior walls of 'the cabinet l I0. These walls I2 and I3may be coated with I vitreous enamel or any other suitable coating orfinish material. The metal liner I2 terminates at the front of thecabinet in a reversely curved flange 2| and has a plurality of spacedapart straight narrow portions 22 extending outwardly therefrom. Themetal member I3 is shaped to fit around the metal support |5 and an edgeportion 23 thereof is located under the narrow extensions 22 on memberI2. An insulating washer 24 is placed between the overlapping portions22 and 23 of members I2 and I3 respectively to break the metal-to-metalcontact thereof adjacent the door opening I6. A screw 25, having anoutwardly flanged metal strip 26 located under its head, is threadedinto Vthe heavy metal support I5 to i thereby rigidly secure the membersI2 and I3 to the support bracket l5 at the front of the cabinet II). Atrim strip or mold member 21 of a resilient material such, for example,as rubber has a curved slot 28 provided therein and which slot receivesy v the curved edge 2| of liner I2. The rubber trim strip 2`|h also has`a groove provided therein for the reception of the outwardly angedportions of metal strip 26 which extends around the door opening IB.-The resilient trim strip 2l is first locked upon the liner I2 byinserting the curved edge 2| of the liner into the slot 28 of the strip21. The groove provided in trim strip 2l is then spread apart andsnapped over the ilanged metal strip 26 to secure the strip 2l inposition upon the cabinet so that the same forms walls of the foodcompartment door or access opening I6. Heavy metal cups 3| `and 32 (seeFigs. 3 and 4) are located beneath the `cabinet exterior finish wall I3above and below the door opening IB respectively of compartment I4 andare welded or otherwise rigidly secured tothe supporting member I5. Cups3| and 32 are vertically aligned near one side of the opening I6 andwithin a portion of the cabinet front wall which is bulged outwardiff lyto match the exterior bulged contour of door I1. It will be noted thatthe portion of exterior metal wall I3 of cabinet Ill which is bentinwardly toward the opening I6 of compartment I4 and the correspondingportion of support member |5 are provided with registering openings 33aligned with the open end of cups 3| and 32. The cups 3| and 32 form astationary bearing portion or member of each of a pair of hinges to behereinafter more fully described.

The door |1 of the refrigerator cabinet I0 comprises an outer metal pan35 and an inner metal pan 36 which form a chamber therebetween for theinsulation 31. Outer door pan 35 has an angular inwardly turned portion38 terminating with a lip edge 39. A plurality of relatively narrowmetal pieces 4I are welded or otherwise rigidly secured to and in spacedapart relation along the sides of portion 38 of pan 35 and ex-,. tendinwardly therefrom to a point to space the pans 35 and 36 apart adesired or predetermined distance. Each piece 4| includes a nat portion42 and an inwardly directed fianged portionv 43. The ange 43 ofl eachmetal piece 4I provides a backing for the inner door pan 36 and this panis secured to the flange 43 by a plurality of screws 44. It will benoted that the peripheral edge of pan 36 is curved as at 45 and thatthis curved edge overlaps and engages an edge of a rubber or the liketrim strip 46. 'Ihis 'trim strip 46 abuts the flat portion 42 of metalpiece 4I and has a groove 41 cut therein for`receiving the lip edge 39of the inwardly turned part 38 of pan 35. The lip edge 39 of pan 35 andthe curved edge 45 of pan 36 locks the trim strip 46 in position on thedoor I1. has an integral extended portion 49 which terminates in theform of a flexible hollow bead 5 I The bead 5| and portion 49 of trimstrip 46 abut and may, if desired, be glued or cemented to the inturnedportion 38 of outer door pan 35. The bead 5| on strip 46 is normally ofa substantially D-shape and engages a nat portion 52 provided on thecabinet outer metal wall I3. Bead5l is compressed between the cabinetwall and the door I to form a sealv for closing the door opening I6 toprevent escape of cold air from the food storage compartment I4 of therefrigerator cabinet I0. It will be seen that strip 46 therefore servesas a combined seal and trim or mold member. n

Prior to assembling the door I1 into a unitary structure as shown inFig. 2 of the drawings a pair of cast metal members 55 and 56 arewelded., in vertical alignment with one another, tothe inner face of thefiat angularly disposed inturned portion 38 of pan 35. The one castmember or hinge portion 55 is located at the top of the door I 1 whilethe other member or hinge portion 56 is located at the bottom of thedoor. Each cast metal member 55 and 56 forms a part of the hinge of thepresent invention and is hollowed out as at 51 to provide a verticalopening therethrough. Each` cast member 55 and 56fhas a hinge bolt 58located within the opening 51 thereof and each Iof these bolts 58 isprovided with a plurality of straight horizontal rack-like threads 59extending from one end thereof throughout a partof their length. Theplain end of bolt 58 inthe upper casting 55 extends through an openingprovided in the top edge of the door pan 35 and through openings 33provided in cabinet wall I3 and support I5 into the upper metal cup orstationary hinge bearing portion 3|. The plain end of bolt 58 in thelower casting, 56 likewise extends through the Wall of Trim strip 46vdoor I1 and the cabinet wall I3 into the lowermost metal cup orstationary hinge bearing portion 32. A hardened steel ball 6| isdisposed between the end of the lowermost bolt 58 and the closed end ofcup 32 (see Fig. 4) and this ball serves to permit free swinging of doorI1 about its hinges or pivotal mounting. It will be noted that eachmetal casting 55 and 56 has a relatively large horizontal hole 62drilled therethrough and that this hole alsoextends through the inturnedportion 38 of door pan 35 for a purpose to be hereinafter more fullydescribed. Another somewhat similar horizontal hole 63 is also drilledthrough castings 55 and 56 and through portion 38 of door pan 35 and hasa pin 64 located therein. Pin 64, is forcibly driven into hole 63 andpast the threads 59 on bolt 58 to deform a part of these threads andthereby wedge the pin between the bolt and the castings 55 or 56.

The drive fit of pin 64 with'the threads 59 of bolt 58 locks the bolt toa casting 55 or 56 and prevents movement thereof relative to thecasting. Thus bolts 58 rotate Within the cups or bearing portions 3| and32 of the concealed hinge structure when the door I1 of cabinet I9 ismoved about its pivotal mounting to open or close the food compartmentaccess opening I6. The weight of the door I1 rests upon the apex of ball6I and this construction prevents binding of the door during movementthereof.

Having described the construction of the improved concealed hinge I willnow describe the method of adjusting same to permit assembly of the doorI1 upon the refrigerator cabinet.

The door I1 may be assembled into a unitary structure as shown in Fig. 2of the'. drawings prior to being mounted upon the cabinet I0. When it isdesired to mountuthe door I1 upon the cabinet the resilient bead or sealportions 5I of rubber strip 46 isflexed away from the portion 38 of doorpan 35 to permit access to the openings 62 and 63 located thereunderalong one edge of the door. I have provided a pinioned wrench or thelike 65 (see Fig. 3) which is then inserted in opening 62 from outsideWalls of door I1. A bolt 58 is inserted into each of the castings 55 and56 and the wrench 65 extending horizontally through the castings isrotated to cause teeth 66 provided thereon to engage and`thread upon thethreads 59 of the bolts. The bolts 58 may be projected through the topand bottom edges of door I1 by wrench 65, into the projected positionthereof shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, to permit movement of the doorinto a position to align the projecting ends of bolts 58 with theopenings 33 and cups or bearings 3| and-32 on the cabinet. Thereaftervfurther rotation of vthe Wrenches 65 will move the bolts 58 furtheroutwardly of door I1 and into the cups or bearings 3| and 32. When theproper verticalalignment of door I1 audits seal 5I with the door or foodcompartment access opening I6 has been obtained a pin 64 may be forciblydriven into hole 63 in each casting 55 and 56. The pins 64 slightlydeform the portion of bolts 58 aligned with the opening 63 and lock thepins to the bolts and to the castings to prevent movement thereofrelative to one another. The wrenches 65 are then removed from theopenings 62 and the seal portion 5| of strip 46 is permitted to ex backagainst the portion 38 of door pan 35 to cover and conceal the openings62 and 63 along the one edge of the door. The door I1 has therefore nowbeen mounted in a pivotal manner upon cabinet I0 by means accessiblethrough an exterior Wall of the y of the openings 63 in castings 55 and56 or entirely therethrough and wrenches applied to bolts 58 throughopenings 62 to move the bolts out of engagement with their bearings 3|and 32.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided an improvedhinge structure for a refrigerator cabinet door member or the like thatis truly a concealed hinge and yet accessible to permit removal of thedoor from the cabinet member. yMy improved hinges are adjustable withoutdanger of marring the refrigerator cabinet and door exterior nishedmetal walls. The improved hinges are simple in construction, strong andof low cost and permit the exterior appearance 'of the refrigeratorcabinet to be greatly improved.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed,constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claim. l

What is claimed is as follows:

A hinge structure for pivotally mountingV a door upon a door frameconstruction, said hinge structure comprising a. bearing element securedto the door opening frame construction, said hinge structure alsocomprising a bolt carrying element secured to the door, a boltassociated with said bolt carrying element and projecting outwardly fromthe door into said bearing element, said bearing element being locatedinwardly of the wall surface of the door opening frame construction andthe bolt carrying element and said bolt being located inwardly of wallsof the door to conceal said elements .of said hinge structure, meanslocated inwardly of walls of said door engaging said bolt and said boltcarrying element for locking said bolt in a predetermined positionrelative to said carrying element, an end portion of said bolt engagingthe bearing element whereby said bearing element supports the doorsolely through said bolt to maintain the door in alignment with walls ofthe opening of the door frame construction, means providing accessthrough a wall of the door to said locking means for releasing same fromsaid bolt to permit adjustment of the bolt relative to its carryingelement, means providing access through a wall of the door to said boltby a tool adapted to engage and hold said bolt in substantially saidpredetermined position thereof during the act of` releasing said boltlocking means, and the bolt engaging tool being operable while said boltis released to adjust thebolt relative to its carrying element formoving the door and changing its position of alignment with respect towalls of the opening of the door frame construction.

EDMUND F. SCHWELLER.

